Climatic conditions in southern Africa generally preclude the development of major wetlands, yet the region is host to several important wetland systems that are characterised by exceptional biodiversity. Many of these systems remain largely unexplored and poorly understood features in the landscape. This seminar will focus on research currently being conducted within iSimangaliso Wetland Park on the east coast of South Africa. Shaped by sea-level changes that have occurred since the last interglacial, today this region encompasses a range of pristine landforms, including coral reefs, coastal dunes, lakes, swamp forests, and extensive wetlands. In addition to fulfilling several important ecological and social functions, these systems hold great potential for palaeo-environmental studies. We will examine how isotopic and geochemical markers preserved within sedimentary sequences can be used to study regional environmental change and its links with larger-scale climatic variability in the Southern Hemisphere. We will also discuss how increasing human pressures on wetland ecosystems are exposing important management issues.